Review: Nørth: How to Live Scandinavian

Nørth: How to Live Scandinavian by Aurell Brontë
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received the galley of Nørth from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret among my friends that I am enamored of Scandinavia and the Nordic Union. From my obsession with Danish TV shows (Borgen, Forbrydelsen, Bron/Broen, etc), to the frequency of my trips to Norway, to my traveling all over at high latitudes in the coldest part of the year to see the Northern Lights (Iceland at -44 F wind chill, why sure!) it's clear I have a love of the Nordic. I was so excited to go to Helsinki for this past WorldCon that I booked my room a year in advance. Heck, I am learning Norwegian Rosemåling (Telemark style, though I'm quite fond of Hallingdal and Rogaland styles, too) in order to decorate an all wood three season room in my house. So yes, I love most Nordic and Scandinavia things and it's easy to see how I'd be drawn to this book. (If you want to know what I don't like, we can talk about whaling, especially the Faroe Islands' wholesale whale slaughter, and think twice before you click this link.)

Nørth is a playful introduction to Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark and don't you dare lump in Finland or Iceland, okay?) Denmark is the smallest because they totally leave out the Inuit Danes of Greenland, which is obviously far larger than Norway and Sweden. (And this overlooking them is a problem that no doubt feels is all too accurate to the Greenlandic Inuit.) From the sleek clothing of Danes and Swedes to the crazy dishes like Flying Jacob (no really, Swedish Flyvende Jacob has cooked chicken, bacon, canned chopped tomatoes, cream, chili and curry powder topped with sliced bananas and salted peanuts, all baked in a casserole dish until the banana is brown) or the redoubtable Lutefisk (really, you're not missing much, I promise you). They do manage to leave out Fenalår (cured leg of lamb, a big Norwegian Christmas item), and hvalkjott (whale, probably left out for the obvious reasons of cultural controversy). There's the usual discussion of Salmiakki (salted licorice, which is really Finnish but is popular all throughout Scandinavia). Salmiakki is disgusting. You'll love it after you've tried it for about the 30th time. Maybe. Maybe not.

This book is filled with recipes, instructions and playful sideways satirical jabs at each of the three Scandinavian countries. From the OCD "it has to be white, all white," to the absolute gaucheness of taking a knife to a beautiful Danish cheese (you MUST use a slicer!) to the proper way to smörgåsbord and how to drink aquavit (probably just don't, okay?), this book covers many aspects of living, dressing and eating in Scandinavian culture. The quirky idioms will make you laugh and the Janteloven (Law of Jante) will give you insight into the Scandinavian psyche.

All in all a very enjoyable short introduction to Scandinavian culture!

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